Automotive manufacturers often use fasteners (also referred to herein as clips) to join various components to one another. Known fasteners are particularly prevalent as a way to join relatively non-loadbearing components such as door trim panels, trim boards, scuff plates, rocker panels, garnish trim or the like without having to resort to the use of nails, screws, rivets or adhesives. In one common form, the portion of such a fastener that is inserted into an aperture of the components to be joined employs a biased, tapered configuration an example of which is recognizable for its so-called Christmas tree shape that can be snap-fit into place. Unfortunately, such fasteners tend to exhibit high insertion force and poor installation ergonomics. This in turn makes them difficult to use during certain vehicular assembly procedures, such as under so-called blind installation conditions where personnel performing the assembly operation cannot visually acquire the mounting location for the fasteners. In such circumstances, the person installing the components is reduced to having to rely upon tactile response in order to ensure that the components being joined are properly aligned and fastened to one another. Furthermore, such fasteners are not serviceable and are difficult to remove, often requiring a special removal tool or permanent damage to the fastener or one or both of the components being joined.
One form of vehicular assembly that often requires such blind installation is the instrument panel (also referred to herein as an instrument panel module) that is located in front of the driver and front passenger seats. In one common form, the instrument panel module extends the substantial lateral dimension of the passenger compartment, as well as a T-shaped fit with a longitudinally-oriented center console. In addition to defining various gauges, displays (such as multi-information displays (MID)) and related indicators that are arranged to provide information to the driver on the operational status of the vehicle and it various systems, the instrument panel module houses various other components, including an infotainment system, a heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system and its related controllers, a glove box, airbags or the like.
Because of the precise way the instrument panel module and the center console fit within the passenger compartment during vehicle assembly, installation is a complex process. For example, during conventional vehicle assembly, the instrument panel module is first grasped on a primary structural surface along its underside by a hoist or related robotic mechanism and then inserted into the passenger compartment. Because the instrument panel module tends to be both bulky and heavy (due in part to the presence of the already-attached HVAC blower motor and ducts, radio or related infotainment system, meter/display cluster and wiring harnesses), such insertion is done prior to the inclusion of the glove box, trim, knee airbags, lower panels, undercovers or other relatively non-loadbearing components that may otherwise become damaged during such instrument panel module grasping and insertion. After that, the instrument panel module is then secured to an engine bay firewall or related body component. Subsequently, the various components that form or otherwise interact (such as the center console) with the outer surface of the instrument panel are secured; such components may include trim pieces, registers or the like. In particular, the driver- and passenger-side undercovers tend to be installed last (or very close to it) because once installed, they prevent any accessibility to the components that are situated behind the surface of the installed instrument panel. Because of the limited amount of space present in the passenger compartment in general and the front footwell in particular, an installer on the vehicular assembly line is often situated in an awkward position when attempting to attach these undercovers, as well as other liners, fascia or related components that are used to provide a measure of physical and aesthetic isolation between the passenger compartment and the mechanical, electrical and structural components that are situated within or behind the instrument panel. By being in such a position, the installer is forced to blindly align the apertures and fasten the liners, covers, fairings, fascia or related components. In addition to slowing down the vehicle assembly process by making the proper alignment of the components to be joined more cumbersome, such blind installation can lead to inaccurate placement and fastening, which in turn may adversely impact the fit and finish of the assembled vehicular components.